Rice Village

The neighborhood inside the loop with the most suburban feel is Rice Village, hands down. PSA: If you hear people talking about “the Village”, this is what village they mean. I highly recommend the ‘hood for families or newly married couples who don’t want to stray too far from places with things to do. Homeownership can be pretty pricey, but there are plenty of great apartments, as well as single family homes, to rent.

Important: You don’t need to live in the Village to enjoy it! When I lived on campus at UH, I spent so much time here. It’s just so close to everything and there’s so much to do!

We’re defining Rice Village as anything south of 59, west of Main Street, north of Holcombe and east of Kirby — yes this includes the Rice University campus!

Best Sales Rack: Urban Outfitters and Express — seriously, these stores’ best locations are right here in The Village.

Best Makeover (girls): Beautique

Best Makeover (guys): The Boardroom

Best Mani/Pedi: Isle Pedi Spa

What you need to know

Like most things that are great, traffic and parking can put a real damper on your fun. Now, Rice Village has paid parking EVERYWHERE, but 2 hour free garage parking. If you’re just trying to pop in real quick for a return, the metered parking might be worth it — $1 an hour. Similarly a headache, Kirby Drive from University to 59 gets sooooo backed up soooo often. Just plan accordingly.

I adore how walkable the Village is. Really, just abandon your car and walk all over!

Rice Village is a big perk for those brainiac Rice U students, so don’t be surprised if you see a young crowd at coffee shops or bars. But I also have found that the crowd is young families too. A nice little mix of ages and friendships!

Whether you work from home or have your own side hustle, you might be in the market of some coworking space just as stylish and fun as you. Local Office in the Rice Village area is a new space that’s motivating, affordable, and, clearly, in a great part of town.

Local Office’s dog-friendly (AWW!!!) spaces start at $799 a month for private offices and $199 a month for coworking memberships. Private offices have 24/7 access, private networks, private mailboxes and all memberships include free WiFi, package receiving, meeting room space and onsite parking (option for reserved garage parking). A cafe is on its way to the space too when CAVO opens in April of 2018!